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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spring — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. stock — shares
  5. court — of a king
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — goods
  8. staff — a stick
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — a coil
  16. face — part of the head
  17. court — of law
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spring — the season
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com